Pursue: Guam still must press forward with power from alternative energy

The Guam Power Authority is making a strong case to convert its oil-burning power plants so they can be fueled by liquefied natural gas, but it's imperative that alternative energy sources continue to be a priority for the utility.

Guam Power Authority General Manager Joaquin Flores said the conversion will save power customers about $1.3 billion over the next 30 years, and also will create jobs related to the needed infrastructure to make the conversion.

Without the switch, new federal emissions standards would require the utility to spend about $400 million to replace its current smokestacks. Converting the baseload power plants to natural gas would be cheaper, costing about $250 million to $300 million.

Plus, natural gas is less expensive than the fuel oil the utility currently buys -- by about 15 percent -- and is available from more sources. The annual savings in fuel, once the power plants are converted, would be about $45 million a year, according to Flores. That savings could in turn be used to pay off money borrowed to convert the power plants.

The conversion from fuel oil to liquefied natural gas makes a lot of sense, both for the Guam Power Authority and its customers. But it must not mean that the utility not continue to pursue alternative energy.

Flores said the conversion to natural gas would be " a game changer -- bigger than solar or wind." But natural gas, like fuel oil, is a limited natural resource. At some point, as supplies dwindle, it will get more and more expensive as well.

That's what makes alternative energy the true future for our island. We will always have win and sun; they won't diminish like oil and natural gas. Alternative energy also is much cleaner and, as technology improves, the means to generate power from these sources will become less and less expensive.

So while converting the island's power plants to natural gas makes sense, it won't be the very-long-term solution our island needs, which is why the Guam Power Authority, and the government of Guam, must be very aggressive about pursuing alternative energy options.